Small, Wearable Device Might Just Improve Your Terrible Posture

Poor posture can you give you back pain, and back pain sucks.

Can your posture be described as pure garbage? If so, same. But hey, it's not our fault it feels more natural to slouch in front of our computer, phone, and tablet screens. Or, you know, maybe it totally is. Either way, we should all be interested in is solutions.

Poor posture can cause a whole host of physical issues such as back, neck, and shoulder pain, muscle soreness, and more. It can also negatively impact your mental health, making you feel stressed, sad, and afraid, according to a 2014 study published in Health Psychology.

Luckily, poor posture can be fixed with some effort — and maybe some technology. New York-based startup Upright Technologies has developed a posture training device to correct your screen-slouch — the UPRIGHT GO. It's a small, water-resistance wearable that aims to improve your posture. Users stick it to their upper backs, near the spinal column via a double-sided silicon adhesive, which can be used between 15-20 times. The device will vibrate every time the wearer slouches, reminding them to correct their posture. It also tracks posture data in an UPRIGHT app to help the wearer see their progress.

"Everybody talks about problems related to poor posture, but little is done to improve the situation. This is where we can help," Oded Cohen, CEO and founder of Upright Technologies, said in a press release. "By training with UPRIGHT GO for less than one hour a day, the body, muscles, and mind form an intuitive habit of sitting and standing after only 2-3 weeks. This improved posture can result in more focus and productivity at work, plus a decrease in back or neck pain."

The Upright Technologies team launched a Kickstarter page to raise funds for the device's launch. Pledges currently starts at $69 for a single device. They still have over 30 days to go and have already reached their goal on Kickstarter nearly 10 times over.